How bad is a generic letter of rec?

[pigsinacloth]

I am applying to a non-competitive specialty and I have 1 guaranteed really strong LOR in that specialty, 1 good letter in a different, but similar specialty, and then a mish mosh of other letters that I am still trying to get. By generic I mean they use a bunch of the buzz words, but they don't have any super specific examples.

2 of them are in the specialty I am planning to go into and they should be good
1 in a similar specialty that should be good, but probably generic
1 in a very different specialty that should be really good, but once again generic

Overall I am a pretty average student.

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[PorkChopsOG]

It will not add or subtract from your application. Only exceptionally good and exceptionally poor LORs matter.

 

[djo208]

I agree with the previous poster. I used to review residency applications when interviewing applicants. The generic letters didn't really register with me, but anything bad stood out, anything interesting stood out, anything unusual stood out, and anything good stood out. Anything that wasn't good, bad, unusual, or interesting was forgotten--nothing lost, nothing gained.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

It's not going to hinder you. We all know that even people who think well of an applicant can be poor letter writers.

 

[pigsinacloth]

Ok thank you everyone!